• Do investors say you need a team before they invest?
• Do you lack industry-specific expertise or functions? 
• Do you have gaps in your business model/plan?

Cantilever can address your investors’ concerns. We have Executive level talent to fill gaps in your management or bring specific types of expertise. 

We support companies in defining their value propositions, understanding the market, preparing a go-to-market strategy, and many other areas investors want to see before funding your company.

Cantilever Business Partners understands the key criteria investors are looking for and have developed a business model to support entrepreneurs in commercialization, no matter where they are process.

You Need a Team:

Next to funding, talent is an essential part of early-stage company success. This often involves embedding fractional C-Level talent when needed. Cantilever can help with fund raising, product development, commercialization plans, support and oversight of start-up operations, and strategic networking of talent. We have access to a national network of C-Level talent, Ph.D. and MBAs in tech industries, many having first hand success in start-ups or commercial exits. 

“The biggest need of many of these tech startups is someone with relevant experience to be a part of the management team to bring the team forward.”
—Sandra Cochrane, Assistant Dean of WMed Innovation Center

You Need Expertise:

Our Partners and network have diverse expertise across many functions and industries. WE have access to diverse expertise across many functions and industries including: regulatory, quality, operations, marketing, product development, finance, and engineering. 

You need a Market and a Plan

Cantilever believes wholeheartedly in the Business Model Canvas and Lean methodologies as the most assured way to success. In the words of Steve Blank, “A startup is an organization formed to find a scalable, repeatable business model”. 

 We guide startups in developing a foundation by identifying:

• Product Market Fit - defining the problem and determining if your product address the need.
• Target Market - early adopters, size, and identifying decision makers
• Sales and Marketing Plan - engaging customers, distributing product, and messaging

Light Line Medical (LLM) had a product in development but still needed: go-to-market strategy input from the customer; identifying decision makers, influencers within the ecosystem; understanding the strategic ecosystem; and what was the customer perception of the product. Cantilever Business Partners reached out to several [over 50] potential strategic partners, decision makers, influencers, and users to interview them and collect data. This quantitative data was used to provide a report on key findings. Based on Customer input they were able to define what type of testing evidence would be acceptable for a minimal viable product, what level of input the clinic physicians had in new products; what design features were ideal based user physical limitations and habits. An additional benefit was identifying smaller clinics to partner with to develop literature and execute initial usability studies. Once information became repetitive from individuals across different types of clinics, Cantilever Business Partners recommended to pause customer discovery at that time until further gaps in knowledge were identified. This allowed LLM to redirect their funding and devote it to product development.